Place a saucer in the freezer
Chop up apples and place in a large saucepan or preserving pan- for true Hedgerow jam remove stalks but nothing else all the goodness is in the peel and core - I chop mine into 8 chunky pieces (I also freeze all of my fruit on the day it's picked ready for jam making another day)
Add all of the other fruit and the water
Bring up to the boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and leave for around 30 minutes until most of the fruit has pulped
Use a hand blender to pulp the jam further and to ensure Apple skins are well incorporated - if you don't have a hand blender you could use your food processor or a potato masher/ricer, but make sure you let it cool first
Now add the sugar and stir until it has all dissolved. Bring up to a rolling boil. Do not have heat any higher than it has to go. Once it comes to the boil start lowering the heat until it just maintains a boil. If you try to boil it too fast it will burn to the bottom of saucepan and the burnt sugar taste will go right through the whole batch :(
How long do you boil it for? Every batch can be different so anywhere between 8 and 28 minutes and all times outside those parameters! It will be dependent upon what heat source you use, how big is the saucepan and what is it made of, what fruits did you use in what ratio. Also, how many times you stirred to stop it sticking, what brand of sugar you use, and is your water soft or hard!
This is where the saucer comes in. After 8-10 minutes remove your saucer from the freezer and drop a teaspoon of jam on it. Pop it back in the freezer for 1 minute. When you take it back out use your little finger and very gently using the lightest touch, drag your finger along the top of the jam. If it wrinkles up it has reached setting point if it doesn't continue for another 5 minutes and repeat the procedure. My mix took 21 minutes to reach setting point.
Turn off the heat but give it a good stir as the heat keeps it bubbling for a while and it can still burn
Ladle into your jars, but be careful as the jam is so hot it WILL remove skin. This quantity should make 5-6 lb jars. I put a circle of parchment into the top of each jar and smooth down to remove air bubbles. Don't put lids on until it is cold. Fancy labels and a square of festive cloth makes a cheap and cheerful gift for a friend :)
